New Zealand and Fiji win opening OFC U-19 matches

New Zealand and Fiji secured dominant victories in their opening Group B matches at the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship held at the Samoa Football HQ in Apia.

Defending champions New Zealand defeated Tahiti 8-0. Nathan Martin opened the scoring within the first ten minutes, followed by goals from Aaron Cartwright, Harley Hill, and Jayden Smith in the first half. In the second half, substitutes Van Fitzharris scored twice, with Oliver Grosso and Waisea Henry also finding the net to complete the rout.

Fiji also started the tournament strongly, overcoming an early deficit to beat Vanuatu 7-2. Ryan Naresh led the Fijian attack with a hat-trick, scoring three goals in a ten-minute span during the second half to secure the win.